RJ Barrett Tapped to Jerry West Award Watch List

DURHAM, N.C. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the 20 watch list candidates for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Among the 20 candidates was Duke freshmanRJ Barrett, who was the No. 1 overall recruit for the Blue Devils’ top-ranked incoming freshman class.

Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

Barrett, one of four freshmen named to the list, was the Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Montverde Academy in 2017-18. The native of Mississauga, Ontario, has starred on the international stage for Team Canada by leading them to a Gold Medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2018. Barrett led Duke in both points and assists, averaging 30.7 points and 5.0 assists on the Duke Canada Tour this past August. He added 6.3 rebounds per game to tie for second on the squad, while providing a pair of 30-point outings in the first two contest, scoring 34 against Ryerson, and 35 against Toronto. He notched a double-double in the final game of the tour with 23 points and 10 assists against McGill.

By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.

For more information on the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, long onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.